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OWARI NO SERAPH AND RELIGIOUS TRAUMA — A THREAD.
religious trauma is trauma related to/caused by religion. straight people can experience this, but it is more often faced by LGBT people since being gay is considered a sin in so many religions (and i say this from experience).
religious trauma is trauma related to/caused by religion. straight people can experience this, but it is more often faced by LGBT people since being gay is considered a sin in so many religions (and i say this from experience).
a lot of people interpret this scene as ‘confirmation’ that shinoa has feelings for yuu, but i’ve always seen it as manipulation. the light novels established that shinoa has abandonment issues, and she pushes away people who care for her. she uses apathy and humor as a coping-
mechanism. the ‘sassy and sarcastic’ attitude the fandom attributes her to is a front, and she builds emotional walls so thick to disassociate herself from her emotions. shikama clearly knows that, and he is bringing up those problems on purpose to manipulate her.
he goes as far as mentioning mahiru, and that shinoa is at the age when mahiru first had sex with guren. considering how he is trying to tell her that she wants to experience love, the implication behind this is: ‘your sister could do it at your age. so why can’t you?’
this is shinoa’s reaction after shikama told her that her heart races when she watches yuu. that doesn’t look like a girl who’s flustered about her feelings to me. it looks like a girl who’s ashamed of them.
this is the second time shikama pesters about her feelings. at this point it doesn’t matter if shinoa has a crush on yuu or not, because instead of being allowed to discover her feelings at her own pace, she’s being forced to confront them by someone who has unlimited access to-
her thoughts. she has no way of establishing boundaries or asking others for help. but what does this have to do with religion?
shikama is taking the form of a biblical angel. specifically a seraph, the highest ranking of an angel. he’s telling shinoa what she wants instead of letting her realise it by herself, which is really similar to the experience of gay kids growing up in religious households.
also, does anyone else find it creepy how he’s an immortal demon talking to a sixteen year old about sex and desire? sounds a lot like grooming to me... (hm, grooming in religion, wonder where i’ve heard that one before?)
there’s a clear power imbalance between a celestial being and a teenager, and shikama knows this. he’s been manipulating people since the dawn of time, and every word he says is carefully selected.
shinoa also mentioned this early on in the series; because of the apocalypse, it is critical that humans have sex and grow in numbers. she also comes from the prestigious hiiragi family, giving her more expectations to uphold a certain standard instead of just being herself.
this, coupled with her abandonment issues and the fact that yuu is the first person her age she’s ever been close to (and that he also happens to be a conventionally attractive boy), it is easy for her to confuse whatever feelings she has for him as romantic.
i don’t know, maybe kagami is just bad at writing women, but her feelings look a lot like compulsive heterosexuality. she never says it herself that she’s attracted to him or in love with him, and the story always relies on other people to point it out for her, sometimes-
to the point of forcing her... and every time they do, her answer is never a clear yes, but always uncertain. this uncertainty gives shikama more loopholes to abuse.
also, this is kind of a reach (and because i’m gay and i ship mitsunoa lmao) but if you compare that scene of shinoa blushing to yuu vs shinoa blushing with mitsuba, she looks much more happier and relaxed here.
a friend pointed out that with mitsuba, shinoa’s making all the first moves on her own term, talking to her and teasing her because she wants to. with yuu, the feelings are being shoved down her throat.
again, this is 100% my own interpretation and in no way am i saying this is canon! you’re allowed to have your own interpretation! and if you’ve made it this far in the thread ur the best heres hug <3
